A Striker, Not Becks Please. Ta.

January 5, 2011 / Alan / 12 Comments

Is this what success feels like? A flat atmosphere at the Lane, the team taking a while to get into their stride, arguable if they ever did, yet still coming away with the points. If this was a routine win then I’m not used to the concept so I can’t recognise it when it comes along.

Chatting. During the first ten minutes. About football, sure, but not about the match itself necessarily. Although some fans appear happy to pay forty or fifty to gossip with their mates, I prefer to focus on the matter at hand, yet here I am, ten minutes gone and there’s a game going on.

Fulham made it anything but routine. Because the rest of the team did not follow Luka’s admirable example – get on top, take over, stay on top – Fulham gradually hauled themselves into the contest. By the second half, despite being a goal down, they moved the ball around more efficiently than we did. Murphy, Davies and Duff kept things flowing and Dempsey’s movement meant it was difficult to pick him up. However, they lacked a cutting edge that a pair of quality strikers would provide them and most of their efforts foundered once they reached the box.

Once there, they encountered Dawson and Gallas in imperious form. Pressured, they rise to the challenge. Dawson suddenly grows two inches taller and a foot wider, blocking shots, flying in for tackles and winning everything in the air. His return has been remarkable precisely because it is as if he’s never been away. Three games back from injury, none of this easing his way back business, he has retuned, refreshed, eager and more dominant than he was before what was a serious problem. No hint of any loss of pace, if anything he appears more flexible and bouncy than before. Dawson’s back and we have two clean sheets, Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Alongside him, Gallas continues to be quietly effective. Timing and anticipation is his thing, plus a willingness not to give ground. Seeing him at close quarters, I have nothing but admiration for his impeccable attitude. Now he’s match fit, and he took a while despite his many years of experience with these matters, his pride in his personal performance betrays not a hint of a professional looking for some easy money in the twilight of his career.

Nine points out of nine over Christmas, 11 games unbeaten and some thrilling football along the way. However, the media has been full of one thing ever since. 606 took the lead. Listening on the way home, it was all about David Beckham. Good idea or bad idea? A taste of things to come perhaps. Everything revolves around him, even in his absence. Not what Spurs have achieved or how the existing squad could raise their game, but what Beckham might bring.

The presenters, Robbie Savage and Darren Fletcher, couldn’t see what the fuss was about. A no brainer, of course he should be signed. Their scenario was a reasonable. Twenty minutes left, Spurs a goal down, on comes Beckham, just one cross, or he could settle things down in the middle, keep a lead.

Worse things could happen than Beckham’s arrival but there are fallacies in these arguments. They made football sound like gridiron, where you bring on a specialist for a set play then they toddle off again to bury themselves in padded jackets three feet thick to keep warm. But football, our football, is not like that. It moves and flows. If Becks’ cross is headed away, he’s got to get back because there’s a big gap behind him. Something he will have to do again and again, because that’s what the Premier League requires.

In our midfield, Becks could do a decent job, although I have to point out that he’s seldom played there effectively for any extended periods. We need midfielders who can hold, cover and protect the defence. Beckham can do so but others can do this much better. The whole scenario is predicated on an assumption that Beckham is not only fit, he’s match-fit. How else would a short-term loan be effective? Yet of course he isn’t. One of his reasons for coming is to gain match fitness. One thing I don’t grasp in the debate is that this is the Beckham of old. It gives me no pleasure in saying this, because I respect the man hugely, but this is a highly questionable assumption.

Off the pitch, he’ll be helping Lennon with his crossing and generally being inspirational, and all that. A small point, but actually he and Lennon have different games. Becks has never been a flying winger and corsses from deep, as opposed to Lennon who is best when he strikes at the heart of defences at full tilt. Lennon’s distribution is improving anyway.

The deficiencies in the team were made more obvious by the lacklustre performance. Pav’s control and awareness were poor and he posed little threat to a potentially cumbersome Fulham defence. He doesn’t like having his back to goal too much, yet to be fair to him we did not offer him decent service, too often striking long balls from the back (yes you Benny) that were easily mopped up. He was caught on his heels – the only thing he anticipated well was his substitution.

Crouch had a better match, holding the ball up well, but once he faced goal then his weaknesses were on display, tamely shooting at the keeper when given a decent opportunity. A striker, pacy, mobile, intelligent, sharp in the box, is what we need. It’s what Rafa and Luka need. They look up, there’s nothing on. As I’ve ruefully commented before, we are searching and so is the rest of Europe, but it will make the very best of our style of play and two of the most talented midfielders in the league.

Beckham remains a distraction. Lots of ifs and buts boil down to two simple things, one he’s not going to be around for long, two, he’s not good enough. A third maybe. I don’t want anything to distract us right now, for this is our moment. There will be others, because of our valuable long term team building, but the right striker in this window will be the making of this team, now and in the seasons to follow.

Everton tonight – the pressure is on but we should not fear it but feed upon it. Use it to drive us on. A tough team but this is winnable. Get used to the pressure because it won’t go away.

Although the long term strategy has been hard to discern, Harry’s panic-driven arrival was the catalyst for our revival. He’s taken the raw material bequeathed to him by his predecessors, added a mixture of experience, grit and latterly high class talent and shaped the whole mess into a potent attacking force. His are the hands at the potter’s wheel, slapping down a dollop of gloop and from the grey wobbling mess emerges, gradually, painstakingly, a creation that is solid to the touch, resistant and lasting. There’s still room for further embellishments to create a work of art.

We Don’t Need Another Hero – No to Beckham.

December 31, 2010December 31, 2010 / Alan / 22 Comments

David Beckham’s mooted loan move to Spurs would be an unwanted and unnecessary distraction from the core task at N17 OAP, the continuing development of this team into a top quality team.

Recent stellar individual performances from, amongst others, Bale, Van der Vaart, Gallas against Arsenal and the wonderful Modric, have all been founded upon a granite bedrock of team work. At last we have a consistent shape and balance that brings out the very best in our squad. This is Harry’s great strength, to understand what players can do, then ask them to do their job in a formation that suits them. Beckham’s arrival would be an entirely unwarranted interruption to the process of team-building. It’s taken long enough to get here and there’s lots still to be done, so anything that gets in the way could be downright catastrophic.

Our David is a cracking player but will add little to our attacking, pacy football. Defences no longer tremble at the sight of Becks in a wide position, but the full-backs are quaking in their boots when Lennon and Bale are on the ball. Also, I question his stamina to work up and down the line, even for half an hour at a time. That’s a requirement for any midfielder in the Premier League.

Also, one of the principles of our particular chosen developmental route is the enabling of players to grow and mature together. Bale, Lennon, Dawson, Modric, Assou-Ekotto, lynchpins of the team who have grown into that role in navy blue and white. Granted Gallas has been brought in to perform specific duties at the back and VDV is an established star, but Becks, sadly, is on his way down and in the two months loan that is being proposed will not add anything significant.

Talking of loans, who exactly is this for? Spurs – or more for Beckham to achieve match fitness? Whoever arrives at Spurs, the club and the club’s needs come first and I remain unconvinced that this is the case. Tottenham have outgrown the need to sign David Beckham.

I’ve reached this far and not even mentioned the media circus that will religiously chronicle his every breath. The club and the other players will be reduced to a pantomime chorus, albeit one where Harry will make a fine dame alongside Jordan and Bond as the Ugly Sisters. To repeat, a distraction that we do not need in any way, shape or form.

David Beckham will always carry my unstinting admiration for his achievements as a player. The derision and abuse that he received after his World Cup sending off rivalled that meted out to Joey Barton. Yet he won over fans from all over the country through the sheer force of his football. Carrying himself with dignity and purpose, he just played so well, so often, culminating in the match against Greece at Old Trafford where not only did he have the presence to convert an astonishing free kick under mind-boggling pressure, he also appeared prepared to take on the opposition single-handed if need be.

However, any advantage of being a role model and all-round Good Bloke will be massively outweighed by harmful effects on the team and the distraction of having a cultural icon in the changing room, rather than another midfielder. He’ll cost a fortune and we could get better value elsewhere.

It’s been suggested that he could be a useful coach, but he has no experience whatsoever of coaching top quality players. The English game is held back by the notion that good players will display the same qualities as coaches as they did on the pitch, and can do so with little preparation.

So a resounding ‘no’ to David Beckham at the Lane, and while I’m at it, no to any player who thinks they can piggyback onto our run of success. In the window we need men with ambition and commitment, able to actively contribute to our growth and development.

Harry was saying something the other day about the chairman being keener than he is to spend money. I didn’t catch all of it, but I sincerely hope that it was one of Harry’s flippant off the cuff gags for effect. However, you can often gain more of an insight into Harry’s thoughts through these asides that in the main platitudinous body of his press conferences. Harry’s spending excesses have been expertly kept under control by Levy – now it may be the other way around.

Slightly negative way to end the year. Don’t mean to be – the last few months have been breathtakingly wonderful. I hope you’ve been as transfixed by it all as I have.

Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks to everyone who’s dropped in and especially to all those of you who have kindly taken the time and trouble to make a comment. Here’s to style and glory in 2011.
Alan

Luka Modric – Virtuoso of the Spurs Midfield

December 29, 2010December 31, 2010 / Alan / 11 Comments

In the coffee bar of St Paul’s Church in the Park Lane, the benign Martin Luther King gazes down at the queue for tea and bacon rolls. The children have been remarkably inventive with their colouring project, considering that all they had to work with is the outline of a black man in a suit.

The ladies in the kitchen bustle at their task. Each treats the cramped servery as their own. At home the kitchen is their domain yet here they must share, so the fussing and unwanted advice means the service is slow. Even the vicar tuts with impatience as he takes the money. It’s value at £1.50.

Vaguely Gratuitous Use of A Great Man in Spurs Blog.

Looking around, there’s spiritual inspiration to be had from a few religious images, or perhaps the giant stuffed Speedy Gonzales, lying in the corner with a fixed grin.

This peaceful setting, with its attentive service (‘how would you like your egg cooked?’), youth club chairs and shiny toilets is tranquil yet vaguely unsettling. Football’s not about this. It’s about the grease of burgers, watered down sauce trickling down the wrist and hurried gulps of indigestion before the expectant rush to get into the ground. Too nice, it’s just not right.

The contrast with what was to follow could not have been more marked. Twenty minutes later, we were plunged into the midst of a physical battle that became increasingly intense as the match wore on, a seething froth of steaming tackles, gross duplicity and red cards. Newcastle’s defensive tactics gradually descended into systematic intimidation, encouraged by lenient refereeing.

That Spurs did not buckle under such pressure is a measure of our resilience, both mental to overcome the threats and our ingenuity in playing our way out of trouble. Yesterday, Bale and Lennon made and took two superb goals with a precious combination of breathtaking pace and slide rule finishing, but we were led all the way by a virtuoso performance from Luka Modric.

From first whistle to last, he scurried and scampered through the markers and tackles, untouched by the mayhem all around. When we had the ball he dictated the pace of the entire game, pass and move, a touch on or 50 yards cross field all the same to a player at the peak of his powers. He ran and ran and ran, constantly available to ease the pain of teammates under pressure. As the infidels thundered down upon him, he swayed and swivelled, a drop of the shoulder and he’s gone, no discernable change of pace but look, there he is, he’s away. No space in the crowded midfield throbbing with opponents intent on destruction, but there, look, in daylight, crouched over the ball then head up, a seemingly idle flick of the outside of the boot or a firm instep. Frail legs hide a frame of tensile steel, clip his ankles but he’s still upright, protecting the ball as if it were precious treasure, shielding and caressing it to safety. One moment, under pressure in our left full back position, the pass down the line to Rafa defied the laws of geometry and physics. A masterpiece from a truly wonderful footballer: one of the most complete individual performances I’ve seen for years.

From such rarefied heights, back to the blood and thunder. Early on, the air of expectation was palpable as Carroll took on our centre halves, for the game would surely turn on how we coped with their dangerman. Very well as it turned out. Daws was not prepared to give an inch. He’d spent days focussed solely on winning that first high ball and he was on top from the start. Such is our confidence that we let Kaboul take him on when the ball was on the left – whoever was closest. The Frenchman bolstered his growing reputation by not flinching either.

Defensively our task was made easier by Newcastle’s reluctance to support their centre forward. Later in the half Carroll won a few balls, headed perfectly into space but the nearest teammate. Barton usually, was 15 yards away. A total waste of their greatest asset.

However, the Geordies’ defensive outlook stifled our attacking efforts. Rafa struggled to find room, Pav’s control let him down at crucial moments and the wide outlets were blocked. Newcastle’s high line begged for a ball to be slipped in behind them but we didn’t make those runs, then they dropped back behind the midfield shield and that route to goal was blocked.

We found it hard to make any chances but could have scored just before half time when first Rafa missed a good headed chance then Pav’s downward header tantalisingly hit both posts before rolling clear. A fine save from Krul. We needed to up the tempo in the second half, We play better at the level of quick bordering on frantic.

Alongside Luka, Palacios was back to his bouncy best, covering diligently and snapping in with the tackles. He was a yard faster around the pitch, add something for his sharpened sense of anticipation and for 45 minutes it was as effective a piece of defensive midfield play as you could wish to see. Well, for almost 45 minutes. Twice he gave the ball away, leading to chances that Newcastle would not have otherwise made. The second time, the lunge and booking on Carroll was as predictable as England’s Ashes win.

The guy in the Newcastle midfield looked vaguely familiar. It took me a moment to realise this was Alan Smith. Once a highly gifted and mobile young striker at Leeds, Fergie paid a fortune to convert him into a decidedly average, albeit committed, midfielder. Injuries haven’t helped. I know he’s been away a long time because of injury but someone should have let him know that in the meantime they’ve changed the way you can tackle from behind these days. Trouble is, the ref seemed to be back in the nineties too.

Now I have some sympathy for refs these days. No really – the game is so fast in reality and so damn easy with the benefit of 37 slow motion replays that they have a nigh on impossible task. However, here was an instance where by not setting the standard early on, the referee allowed players to take too much freedom. Time and again Smith, Barton and Tiote chomped in. They should have been punished more severely, if not for individual fouls then for repetition.

Newcastle's View of the Build Up to the First Spurs Goal

If the eye was drawn throughout the game to Carroll, it was also impossible to avoid paying attention to Joey Barton, however hard I tried, and believe me I did try, so hard. I admit prejudice: surely no professional deserves the 50k a week less, given his history. But I am a warm and generous man, willing to embrace efforts at rehabilitation. Newcastle fans have been saying it’s ‘Joey for England, and certainly his effort can’t be faulted, trying to hold down a midfield berth whilst pushing forward to support Carroll and, later, dropping deep to try and start something, in the face of utter indifference from the anonymous Routledge and Gutierrez

But of course he started. On Rafa first, who is becoming a target now that the league has spotted his short fuse. Leaving his foot in on Kaboul, then twice digging Modric in the ribs as the ball was dead, actively looking for trouble. Luka just looked at him. Barton sees a frail victim, we see a battle hardened child of a war zone.

Then the free kick. We have the ball, about to launch from deep. Carroll goes down holding his head, ref stops the game. Carroll gets up, he’s hurt his leg. Barton takes the free drop, looks at Gutierrez, they point, Barton drops it the corner as Gutierrez follows up. If they had scored from that free kick… Naked opportunism, carefully thought through, that no one else would do. This loathsome objectionable individual is the Newcastle captain.

Still it got the game going. The atmosphere was boiling over once Kaboul stupidly fell for the provocation and saw red. This foolishness could have lost us the game – as it is, he’s out for three games just when we need him. Need him because this adolescent indiscretion aside he’s fast maturing into a high quality centre half. I believe he’ll become a top class player.

By this time, we were a goal up. Speedy Gonzales came to life with a lightening dash and rifled finish. Earlier we had struggled to raise our game and raise the tempo – we did everything too slowly but gradually cranked it up, inspiring this terrific little goal from an impossibly wide angle. Anderle anderle indeed.

A man down and we took over until the final whistle. Quality shone through the whole team. Luka shrugged, picked up the pace and the ball, dominated. Jenas had another good match, excepting his loss of the ball in front of goal. Harry could have withdrawn Wilson because the booking rendered him impotent but it was perhaps more positive than that. JJ can take the game to opponents who are retreating and he did so effectively, but perhaps his best moment was the great last man tackle at the edge of the box. Too many false dawns in the past to signal a JJ comeback but in this form he’s a cracking player.

Lennon and Bale pinned back the defenders, while Bassong showed the same fearless attitude towards Carroll as he did to Drogba recently. Against a bigger man he refused to give ground. Daws was there to sort him out too.

Another day, another ten men, another 80 yard move. Bale was off before you realise how much room he has, then it’s the familiar hold your breath surely he can’t get through no shooting from there never, it’s in, it’s in in, it’s in… you beauty.

A moment of breathtaking skill that was as incongruous in this match as the pre-match tranquillity of St Pauls Church. There’s a lesson there somewhere, that stick to your principles, play it right and you shall be rewarded. Vicar, there’s your sermon for next Sunday, Harry and the Parable of the Two Wingers. And if you could get some mustard in next time, that will be perfect.

The Two Sides of Tottenham

December 27, 2010 / Alan / 5 Comments

The two sides of Tottenham Hotspur, the new Spurs that is, combined in adversity to produce a hard-earned 3 points. The adventurous passing, utilising pace as well as finesse these days, set up an open, bright game but after Defoe’s sending off, we were forced to show true grit and determination. Put them together and we have a little something going on.

These days we are surrounded by signs of how the team has changed this season. Over the last few years, in these circumstances, going down to 10 men would produce a familiar tale of opportunities created by good football and then dumped in the trash as we meekly collapsed under the slightest hint of pressure. For some reason, journeys to Bolton and Blackburn come to mind. On top against inferior opponents, Palacios flies in unnecessarily and gets sent off, or the entire defence is inexorably sucked to the near post under a cross and the ball is tucked in. Insignificant moments in the last decade but entirely symptomatic of a lack of resilience that persisted through several managerial changes.

Now we have Luka Modric, moving at ease through a crowded midfield, buzzing, probing,always available, a little nick of the ball here in the tackle. A touch of a pass to keep possession or the vision to not only sumptuously spread the ball 60 yards, not only take the entire Villa team out of the game in an instant, but to place the ball millimetre perfect into Hutton’s stride. That’s not enough. Dig in now, run, short passes, shield it, keep it, knock it off to a colleague and then run to get it again. And again. And again. Never stop. Point to where you want it. Point to tell them where to run, where you are going to put it. Outstanding.

By the end, this man’s hair is matted in cold sweat, socks round the ankles, crippled with cramp, counter to instincts late in the tackle but it’s all for the team. Like Steve Perryman, he works back, shoulders down, hunched in effort to get goalside, short strides because there’s another tackle to be made.

With Rafa, it’s all in the same move. A sublime, innocuous touch turns defence into attack. Then hard yards, head down, run 60 yards, edge of the box. then breathe, slow it down, not sweat but brains now, wait, the space will open up, wait a moment then strike, beautiful unerring, far corner. The crowning moment, a gorgeous goal.

Peter Crouch, on to hold up the ball and receive the mounting pressure but his first steps are back towards his own goal to cover, his first meaningful touch is a fine tackle in midfield and he’s back for more. He never quite manages to find his way forward (did he ever set foot in the Villa Box? I suppose he must have…). Back to mark Collins and he headed everything away.

Kaboul back from injury, shaky and uncertain early on, then a mighty near post defensive header, did well to be there in the first place, did better to head to safety, his skill enabled by the strength in his upper body to hold off the men behind pushing in his back. Dawson alongside him, only his second game back from a serious injury yet there is no loss of pace and none of determination. The crosses came flying in and he headed them away. Kaboul and Dawson, in their own way, outstanding.

Two full backs, committed and neat on the ground. Benny in particular, another decent game, good touches, keeping the ball and one vital far post defensive header. He takes risks occasionally but he knows the significance of holding possession. All this sweat and determination I’m going on about – keep the ball, it’s the best form of defence in the modern game. Finally, Palacios worked productively to protect his back four, although he conceded when in a great position to put Luka in, which led to the cross for Villa’s goal, but for the most part he did his job.

At the final whistle the players were genuinely delighted. They looked each other in the eye and said, ‘Well done my friend’. Rafa, substituted but he wouldn’t sit down, kicked every ball to the end. Daws, wide eyed with satisfaction in the post match interview. Love that guy.

There’s a vibrant team spirit to match the burgeoning talent. Luka’s consistently high standards are complemented by Rafa’s top class talent. I’ve seldom seen a player able to find space as he does. It was a shame that were prevented by a poor refereeing decision from seeing VDV and JD together. However, Defoe’s lack of sharpness is heightened by the levels of ability around him. Once more his control let him down at crucial moments. As they say, he needs a goal. Interesting the difference in body shape when Rafa stroked home the first goal. He’s moving at ease onto the ball whereas JD has gone too far and has readjusted his body, so he’s off balance and not in the prime position to convert the cross, should it have reached him.

So plenty to enjoy from yesterday’s concoction of graft, grit and genius. It’s the sort of win that does wonders for the fragile psychology of footballers -we survived the battle and we can do so again. It’s certainly the sort of match we would not have won 12 or 18 months ago. However, let’s not get too carried away. Poor Villa: Martin O’Neill has left them in a right state. Lots of giant defenders and precious else. They suffered with their injury list even though it’s not as long as ours as been recently. In the second half they lumped over an endless stream of long crosses from deep that we headed away. The wingers swapped over, and they lumped over an endless stream of crosses from deep that we headed away. Their young midfielders watched, stood still, as the they lumped over an endless stream of crosses from deep…

This coupled with an implacable determination to miss any chance that came their way, from whatever angle, meant that Gomes was seldom exposed. He tried his best for them – I reckon he just got there ahead of Heskey but if I were a Villa fan I’d be furious that wasn’t given. Gomes I think has been told to dominate his box more, fine, but he’s not got that balance right when the ball’s low down. That young typing error Lichaj was excellent against Bale, as good as any full back this year. Houllier, a good footballing man, was incoherent afterwards, a stream of vaguely related words trailing off into silence as he contemplated his problems. We took advantage but future opponents will not be as generous.